Sunday afternoon was bittersweet for the Chicago Bears. On one hand, they improved to 2-1 on the season after a win over the Houston Texans.
However, it came with a cost.
Early on in this one, starting running back David Montgomery went down with an injury while pass blocking. He needed to be helped off the field and the Bears are calling it an ankle/leg injury.
According to head coach Matt Eberflus, Montgomery will be listed as “day to day,” which is good news, initially.
The double-edged sword in this scenario, though, comes when looking at Montgomery’s future and the Bears’ options behind him.
David Montgomery’s injury could lead to an uncertain future between he and the Chicago Bears.
After Montgomery left with an injury, it was second-year pro Khalil Herbert who took over the lead duties. All Herbert did was rush for 157 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries.
Herbert looked dynamic, and he dedicated his performance to his running mate.
“I told 32 that was for him today, that was for him today.”
As some have said over the course of the last year, Herbert’s running style does seem to fit better in the Bears’ zone scheme. Herbert is a little quicker than Montgomery and moves swiftly, following his blocks.
The league has changed over the years. In today’s NFL, running backs don’t often get paid — and when they do, it typically doesn’t work out well.
The league has also proven that running backs can be found and utilized from any round in the draft, even if they go undrafted altogether — see Eli Mitchell for a recent example.
With Herbert’s success in his first year-plus, it is not difficult to see a future where the Bears move on from Montgomery after the final year of his deal, which happens to be this season. In his limited action as a pro, Herbert is averaging a healthy 4.9 yards per carry — and 7.3 yards per carry this season.
Seeing Montgomery leave would be a tough scene, but it’s absolutely within reason. Should Montgomery miss next week’s game against the New York Giants, and Herbert runs well yet again, the Bears will likely have seen enough to know that they don’t need to spend on Montgomery after the 2022 season.
Chicago also picked up Trestan Ebner in this year’s draft to handle some special teams and third string duties. They have youth at the position. But more importantly, they have Montgomery’s successor in Herbert.
This very well could be the last hurrah for Montgomery in Chicago, and unfortunately, his injury is not going to help his case.
